In a significant development in Jharkhand’s ongoing liquor scam investigation, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested two senior officials on Tuesday, May 20, 2025:

Vinay Kumar Choubey, a 1999-batch IAS officer and former Excise Secretary, who most recently served as Principal Secretary of the Panchayati Raj Department.

Gajendra Kumar Singh, Joint Commissioner of the Excise Department.

The arrests stem from allegations that both officials colluded with a Chhattisgarh-based liquor syndicate to manipulate Jharkhand’s 2022 excise policy, resulting in an estimated ₹38 crore loss to the state exchequer. The policy changes reportedly favored specific firms linked to the syndicate, granting them control over wholesale distribution, security holograms, and staffing of liquor outlets .

The ACB’s investigation was initiated following a 2024 FIR filed by the Chhattisgarh Economic Offences Wing, which highlighted the syndicate’s influence over Jharkhand’s liquor trade. Subsequent raids by the Enforcement Directorate uncovered evidence of money laundering and policy manipulation.

Both Choubey and Singh have been remanded to judicial custody until June 3, 2025. Choubey’s arrest is particularly notable, as he is the sixth serving IAS officer from Jharkhand to be jailed on corruption charges and the first to be arrested by a state investigation agency .

Sources